The Enemy Lies

November 8, 2014

All we can do is be who we are, the best way we can.

Some people may not like us, or appreciate us, for who we are.
I think of my ugly old big toenail. I don’t like it, but it’s part of me. It’s part of who I am, and it’s no easier to deny its existence than the nose that is very visibly in my face. I can hide the toenail, and I do, as much as possible, so that others won’t see, but it’s still there, a constant reminder to me.

I think we are like that as people. There are some of us we don’t like so much. We want to hide them or cover them up but we can’t deny that they are part of us and it’s something we have to deal with one way or another.

There are some who hurt us, whether that is intentional or inadvertent. That causes us pain. In some cases, the pain can be relieved, but at other times, we find we must live with that pain, day in and day out. There may be no relief.

As members of this human race, we actually need each other. We need the constant reminder of the existence of another human being. We need to appreciate the part that person plays in our lives, no matter how small or undignified it may be.

God’s word says this:

“[No] for God selected (deliberately chose) what in the world is foolish to put the wise to shame, and what the world calls weak to put the strong to shame. And God also selected (deliberately chose) what in the world is lowborn and insignificant and branded and treated with contempt, even the things that are nothing, that He might depose and bring to nothing the things that are, So that no mortal man should [have pretense for glorying and] boast in the presence of God.” (‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭1‬:‭27-29‬ AMP)

And in another place, God’s word says this, speaking of the church, the believers, the “body” of Christ on this earth, but just as full of meaning to humanity in general, I think, as we struggle to get along in this world:

“For the body does not consist of one limb or organ but of many. If the foot should say, Because I am not the hand, I do not belong to the body, would it be therefore not [a part] of the body? If the ear should say, Because I am not the eye, I do not belong to the body, would it be therefore not [a part] of the body?

If the whole body were an eye, where [would be the sense of] hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where [would be the sense of] smell? But as it is, God has placed and arranged the limbs and organs in the body, each [particular one] of them, just as He wished and saw fit and with the best adaptation.

But if [the whole] were all a single organ, where would the body be? And now there are [certainly] many limbs and organs, but a single body. And the eye is not able to say to the hand, I have no need of you, nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you. But instead, there is [absolute] necessity for the parts of the body that are considered the more weak.

And those [parts] of the body which we consider rather ignoble are [the very parts] which we invest with additional honor, and our unseemly parts and those unsuitable for exposure are treated with seemliness (modesty and decorum), Which our more presentable parts do not require.

But God has so adjusted (mingled, harmonized, and subtly proportioned the parts of) the whole body, giving the greater honor and richer endowment to the inferior parts which lack [apparent importance], So that there should be no division or discord or lack of adaptation [of the parts of the body to each other], but the members all alike should have a mutual interest in and care for one another. And if one member suffers, all the parts [share] the suffering; if one member is honored, all the members [share in] the enjoyment of it. (‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭12‬:‭14-26‬ AMP)

The enemy feeds us consistently with lies, but I am very glad for God’s truths. We need to remember those truths as we move through this life. We need to pay attention when the enemy speaks those lies into our hearts and minds, rebuke those lies, and replace then with the solid truth of God’s word.

I think of this scripture also:

“And He made from one [common origin, one source, one blood] all nations of men to settle on the face of the earth, having definitely determined [their] allotted periods of time and the fixed boundaries of their habitation (their settlements, lands, and abodes), So that they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel after Him and find Him, although He is not far from each one of us. For in Him we live and move and have our being; as even some of your [own] poets have said, For we are also His offspring.” (‭Acts‬ ‭17‬:‭26-28‬ AMP)

It’s no accident that we are where we are, rubbing shoulders with those we meet. We need to be seeking Him and finding Him through whatever comes our way. He’s not far. He’s very present. We need to find Him in our circumstances.

God loves us and offers forgiveness through the death of Christ on the cross. This love of His causes us to love others. His forgiveness teaches us to forgive others. His sacrifice propels into caring.

If I’m suffering, care for me. If you are suffering, I need to care for you. God would have us pray for each other, comfort each other, help each other, lift each other up and strengthen each other.

Let’s DO that…..

Let’s be who we are, the best way we can, in the name of Jesus.

Ann Justin

3 comments on “The Enemy Lies”

1. annj49

   November 8, 2014

   

   Thanks for the “likes” everyone! 🙂
   Much appreciated….

   LikeLiked by 1 person

   Reply
2. Dawn Cook-Skreamer

   December 9, 2014

   

   Blessed by this post, dear Ann ❤

   LikeLiked by 1 person

   Reply
   • annj49

     December 9, 2014

     

     Thanks! ❤

     LikeLike

     Reply

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